Google Play’s Billing | Story 2 | Setting up Products on Google play’s Developer Console.

The Google Play Developer Console is a web platform for app developers. It’s a hub where developers can easily manage, analyse, and control their apps, offering a range of tools for monitoring and overseeing app-related activities. In this guide, we will see how we can create, edit, and handle monetisation products for our apps in the Google Play Console.

Important: To create products, we must have created the payment profile for our play account and upload our APK/AAB on the Play Console, even if it’s for internal testing.

Note: We can’t change the id and delete a product that we create, so choose wisely while creating products.

In the previous discussion, we explored three types of products. Now, let’s delve into the specifics of monetisation models, focusing on the “What,” “When,” and “How.”

Subscriptions

What — This grants users access to premium content or services for a recurring fee, typically on a monthly or yearly basis. This model ensures continuous revenue streams for developers and ongoing benefits for subscribers.

When — This is best suited for apps providing continuous services or regularly updated content, like streaming platforms, news apps, or productivity tools. It’s beneficial when users expect ongoing access to fresh content or features over time.

How —

Here are the steps to create Subscription products for our apps:

1. Choose the app for which we want to set up a In-app product from the listed apps.
2. Navigate to the “Monetise” section then “Products” and select “Subscriptions”.
3. Enter the “Product ID”and “Name” of the subscription in the popup appeared, then hit create.

Creating Base Plan —

1. We will enter into the subscription details screen and see option to “Add base plan”. (scroll up if its not visible)
2. Click on “Add base plan” and Enter the “Base plan Id”, Select the “Type” as “Auto-renewing” or “Prepaid”, for more details over “Type” refer this.
3. Enter “Tags”, these identify the base plan or the offer in the API. They can be used to determine which offer to show when the user is eligible for more than one. we can add up to 20 tags.
4. Click on “Set prices” to set pricing for the base plan, we can set the pricing for each country independently or in bulk, click “Set Price”.
5. A popup will appear, set the price in preferred country in “New price” and select country from dropdown. after setting up the price hit “Update”. that will set the price for every available country to their currency converted values.
6. Hit “Save” and the base plan is created successfully. we can create multiple base plans with the same process.

Creating Offers —

1. Offers are created only for auto renewing plans. Click on “Add offer”, that will show a popup, select the auto renewing plan for we want to create offer.
2. In “offer ID” field add offer id( unique per base plan), “Base plan and availability” is pre-filled, cross check if we want to change any.
3. Select the eligibility criteria of the offer in “Eligibility criteria” field. for details refer here.
4. Add the appropriate identification tags in “Tags” field, we can add one or more offer tags to help our app determine which offer(s) to show the customer. Each offer can have up to 20 tags.
5. Select “Add phase” to add the price phases for the offer, we can add up to 2 pricing phases for subscribers to receive sequentially. like free trial followed by some offer. for more details refer here.
6. Hit “Save changes” to create the pricing phase.

InApp Products

What —This enables users to purchase one-time items or features within an app, such as game levels, virtual goods, or ad removal. This model allows developers to offer additional content or functionality for a one-time payment, enhancing user experience and monetisation.

When — This model is suitable for apps where users can benefit from purchasing additional content or features on a one-time basis, such as unlocking premium features, removing ads, or buying virtual items in games, enhancing user engagement and monetisation opportunities.

How —

Here are the steps to create InApp products for our apps:

1. Choose the app for which we want to set up a In-app product from the listed apps.
2. Navigate to the “Monetise” section then “Products” and select “In-app products”.
3. Click on the “Create product” button to initiate the setup. we can explore exporting and importing of products in bulk as well.
4. Enter “Product ID” unique id to identify product. we can’t have duplicate id’s, add carefully.
5. In “Product details” section, Enter “Name” of the product like “Coins”, and in “Description” field enter more details about product like benefits and all. These details will be visible to user.
6. In “Price” Section, Click on the “Set price”, In “Default price” field enter the price that we want to set for user. and hit “Apply prices”.
7. In “Multi-quantity” check the box if we want users to buy multiple products in single purchase.
8. Check the “Tax, compliance, and programs” for more advanced settings.
9. Verify the details ones and hit “Save”.

App Pricing

What — This enables developers to set a one-time price for their app, granting users full access upon purchase. This model is common for premium apps that offer a one-time purchase option rather than recurring subscriptions or in-app purchases.

When — This is best used for apps that provide a one-time purchase option for full access to the app’s features and content, typically suited for premium apps, games, or utilities with no recurring fees or in-app purchases.

How —

Here are the steps to create App pricing for our apps:

1. Choose the app for which we want to set up a App pricing from the listed apps.
2. Navigate to the “Monetise” section then “Products” and select “In-app products”.
3. If we click on “Make your app free” our app will be free and set price will be hidden, make sure not to click on that.
4. Click on “Set price” and In “Default price” field, enter the price that we want to set for user. and hit “Apply prices”.
5. Check the “Tax, compliance, and programs” for more advanced settings.
6. Click on “Save changes”.

Please keep in mind that the steps could change, so it’s advisable to consult the official Google Play documentation for the latest information.

Key Note:

1. we can create max of 250 offers and base plan combined under a subscription, out of which 50 can be active at a time.
2. Different countries have their pricing range that we need to follow. we can’t set price out of that range.
3. We can’t have more then 2 pricing phases.
4. The way prices are calculated for each country varies based on Google’s policies and regional factors. Therefore, if we set a price in Indian Rupees (INR) and convert it to equivalent US Dollars (USD) using the current exchange rate, there may be differences between the price generated by Google and the price calculated by us.
5. we can edit the price for each country/region individually.
6. Subscription for INR payment above 5000 can’t be recurring, it is treated as one time. (as this time of writing)
7. For InApp products only price can be set in local currency, no choise of country is there.
8. Please refer the official documentation for more details.

Conclusion:

In summary, creating a subscription on the Play Console involves key steps such as configuring details, pricing, and adhering to Google’s policies. Continuous monitoring, user feedback analysis, and timely updates are crucial for sustained success. Developers should stay informed about policy changes and adapt their strategies accordingly to maximise the potential of subscription-based apps on the Play Console.

“Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or need assistance. I’m here to help!”

Must Read:

Understanding google plays billing system
Create and manage subscriptions
Understanding subscriptions

References:

1. Chat GPT
2. Google play console
3. Google billing docs